The Illegal 4,000-Step ‘Stairway To Heaven’ In Hawaii Is Pure Insanity

Are you up for an adventure? If you’re the kind of lad who prefers great views, tranquillity, long hikes, and a bit of thrill, this is a great place to go to.

The Haiku Stairs on Oahu, Hawaii, otherwise known as “Stairway to Heaven”, is a series of approximately 4,000 steel steps (3,922 to be exact) that climbs 2,800 ft from the Koolau mountain range to the peak of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

The U.S. military primarily installed wooden steps during World War II. They stretched the stairs across the Haiku Valley to obtain the required height for a radio station antenna.

In the 1950s, the U.S. Coast Guard took over and established their navigation station there. They also substituted the wooden stairs with steel.

The antennae used to transmit 200,000-watt radio signals. It enabled the Navy to communicate with submarines as far as Tokyo Bay while they were submerged. The signal even reached India, which is 10,600 km away.

The base closed in 1987. Since then, the area was restricted from the public and they prohibited hikers. Guards sit at the base entrance for most of the day.

The locals have been asking the government to open the stairs to the public, but the government thinks it would be “cost prohibitive to keep the stairs in a safe condition.”

For those who still want to experience the exhilarating hike, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) will require you to sign a waiver and present a $1 million liability insurance policy. The BWS has jurisdiction over the hike.

Still, some daring hikers ignore the “No Trespassing” signs and sneak in to see these magnificent views: